TSCA Warraskoyack Chapter Spring Newsletter

 

TSCA Warraskoyack Chapter Spring Newsletter 2025

SitRep from Kent and Audrey -

We hope everyone is enjoying the Spring, water temps are coming up. Audrey and I rolled and tipped a few strakes on the Penobscot 14 ST. JACQUES after she got a TILEX bath...

This is hurricane rash from Hurricane Sally. We smoothed it out with some 60 grit.

Pettit EZPoxy Sea Foam Green with a dash of thinner is the flavor of the day, rolled on with Whizz 25003 4" Purple Velour 3/16" Nap Mini Roller 12-Pk from Kirby Paint, and tipped with Corona Orlando™ 9549 Series Angular Brushes.

Night time temps were dipping into the 40s so we evicted the Mustang and rolled ST. JACQUES in the garage with a little space heater, which kept the insulated garage temp above 60F and sped along the paiint cure.

This was back in February, bugs already...maybe they never went away...

...and now we are hoping two tires will magically swap themselves on our Day Sailer II trailer. Can you believe we had a bug find the paint back in February? Other exciting news...I forgot already...oh, I remember, we bought a new Type IV throwable PFD at Bass Pro Shop. It is red. 

March came and went but I did find time to visit the James City County Marina in Williamsburg. We had grand ideas of doing a raid on Jamestown Island but that idea was overcome by events, in this case a fun new job as Flight Safety Manager at Hampton University. Boats and Airplanes, which to choose?! But we at least got a chance to check out the landside of the James City operation on a nice day, and evaluate the locale potential for future ops. 

There is a well stocked Marina Store with very helpful employees.

Nice ramp with floating pier.

Fuel dock...check with Marina Office for hours of operation.

This is when you can tell that someone put some thought towards the customers.

Overnight parking is allowed, coordinate with the Marina Office.

Details say a lot about the way the facility is run.

Interesting Thule Hullavator Kayak loader that cantilevers up and down with very little effort. 

Kayak  and canoe storage area with secluded launch area...and I believe that there may be storage space rental for personal kayaks.

Steve B had no explanation for the SS BAUM at the Billburg Brew Pub. Nice spot to have a beverage and tell Sea Stories with indoor and outdoor seating.

Spotted a few ships on the way to the Jamestown-Surry ferry.

There's been mention of a canoe outing...

 Sitrep from Steve B-

Not a lot to reported related to small boats... Over the last few months, continued to paddle the kayak, pedal the Hobie Adventure and go out on powerboats (specially, the one with the diesel heater). Several of the recent WX events, forced me to stay inside and do house projects and outboard overhauls. March is typically a buy month, as I get most major boat projects out of the way, so that I have more playtime out on the water. 

On the work list is: to haul the cruiser OSPREY and clean and wax the exterior, I completed the engine maintenance in the fall; haul and repair fuel injection system on the open powerboat Skimmer, I had completed hull and other engine work in the fall; completed an overhaul on a small outboard for my grandson, to help with a skool project for the Brock Center, as he just completed fixing up a small Gheenoe and will be teaching people how to fly fish; open up the trimaran sailboat NiceTri, on boat stands, paint the bottom and clean and wax the exterior; playing on the Melonseed sailboat Shearwater as it need "no work at all". Photos of the projects. The outboard in the vice is for the school project. 

SitRep from Eric S of Jamestown Ships-

Eric has been going back and forth from Jamestown to Mystic to keep an eye on the Susan Constant. He reports "The Susan Constant restoration is going well with the crew starting to hang the first new planks! Yes, Jamestown Settlement is planning to have Godspeed participate in Virginia 250th events in Norfolk and possibly another port."

For those not familiar, there will be OpSail events in the Summer of 2026 to coincide with the 250th Anniversary of American Independence. We have a couple of ships planned for Smithfield, the AJ Meerwald and Luna.

Steve E - 

Steve and his Welsford Pathfinder SPARTINA are underway, cruising the Carolinas.

Image Credit: Steve Earley

Their travels are logged at The Log of SPARTINA.

Random Musing - 

Speaking of the 250th, it must have been quite a different site on our local waters back in 1775, with small boats everywhere trying to "trade and evade." Coastal trade schooners, square riggers going up the James River, British warships...

SitRep from Webb C - 

Our friend Webb Chiles should be pushing off today from Skull Creek in Hilton Head, he is taking his Moore 24 named GANNET out for a few days to nowhere in particular. For those who don't know, Webb is a Serial Circumnavigator, with 6 Circles under his belt, one of which was mostly completed on a 19 foot Drascombe Lugger...well 2 Luggers actually....His most recent circumnavigation was on GANNETT.

Webb and GANNET's travels can be followed at Self Portrait in the Present Sea. Take a cup of coffee with you when you go to check out that journal...

Radio Check -

Check in and let us know what you're planning for the Summer! Jamestown Day just quietly slid by along with the Cedar Key Festival. This week there is a raid going on down near Pensacola, the Florida 120. We used to taunt that bunch and hope that they have a good week, and that we all have a great Spring!

Cheers,

"Clark" Kent and "Skipper" Audrey

(Eight50) 449-484One

Jamestown Day

Jamestown Settlement

Williamsburg, VA

Big Little Boat Festival

Chesapeake Light Craft

Centreville, MD

Florida 120
Pensacola, FL

June

Harborfest

Norfolk, VA

Chesapeake Bay Antique and Classic Boat Festival

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

St Michaels, MD

27-29 WoodenBoat Show and TSCA John Gardner Small Craft Workshop

Mystic Seaport

Mystic, CT

July 

Vintage Boat Show

Muskoka Wharf

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

45th Anniversary Assembly of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association

Wooden Canoe Heritage Association

Adirondacks Park, Paul Smiths, NY

Still Here

27 Mar 25:

We're still here, I am officially retired from my Air Line days and found a great opportunity as an Aviation Safety Manager at a local University. Looking forward to learning from the Generation Next.

Our basic training device, we are on track to add a new Advanced sim trainer. Anyone want to sponsor it?

The University dates to 1868, and the old barn got repurposed into an admin center.

Field trip!

Found a new spot for CYANE, more sunlight and closer to her peeps.

They said we were welcome to use the boats.

And today the first steps were made to get this caboose on the next adventure, future home is in Windsor, VA. We like railroad stuff, and are looking forward to maybe helping with the restoration and future use.

The lunchbox has a new sticker. Two actually.

 Stay tuned.

1971 O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE Spring Cleaning

23 Feb 25:

 Spring cleaning for CYANE. Skipper wanted to get the snow off of CYANE so she pressed WILEY into service to pull the trailer around to the wash rack. 

A few days earlier we had near record snowfall, 8 inches at our place.

After a few days there was still quite a pile of snow on the boat. The good news is CYANE is parked in a sheltered spot,  but the spot does not get enough sun during times of the year when sun is desired to dry things out a bit.

The first small victory was knowing where the key for the hitch lock was, right where we thought it would be.

We towed CYANE to Virginia in 2021 on 4 year old tires...and she sat. The code 2517 is the WWYY Week Year that the tire was made, so sometime July 2017ish. While the tire looks okay, there are microfissures all over it and 6 years is the recommended life. So time for new tires.

Skipper makes it look fun...

...it was like an archeological dig...

...and I got to finish.

Foredeck cleaned off, now to see what is under the tarp.

Gear that we pulled out of the cuddy, including a ten year old fire extinguisher. The age limit in Virginia is 12 years, so as long as the pressure gauge reads good, it has two more years. The gear was damp but not mildewed.

Meanwhile in the Sunfish Shack everything was dusty but dry.

Skipper lodged a complaint that her wagons were full of other people's junk, so I cleaned out two of them. And put a new tire on a Gorilla Cart. I need to find a better spot for the electrical cords, which are for use with the generator if we have a power outage. We keep them handy because we are still traumatized from living in Florida and Hurricane season.

There is a 19 foot Drascombe Lugger in here somewhere. It is actually mostly ready to roll if we move some cardboard and boat cover. But we'll check her out soon, because Webb told us that gear multiplies in the dark.

CYANE scrubs up real nice. She needs to d an afternoon of Yard Sailing and then she'll be ready for a Spring Fling.

Outlaw Trailer Court, Inc. We are trying something new with the safety cones, suggested by Ben.